Intervention (international law)

Intervention, in terms of international law, is the term for the use of force by one country or sovereign state in the internal or external affairs of another. With regard to the use of force, Article 2(4) of the United Nations (UN) Charter provides: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." Nevertheless, international law recognises three exceptions to this general prohibition: (1) intervention upon the request of a legitimate government; (2) intervention authorised by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as stipulated in Article 42 of the UN Charter; and (3) the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence, as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter. Consequently, any other use of force or form of intervention is, under international law, considered unlawful.